106 posts categorized "Books"

July 11, 2014

Now through September 15, 2014, the Books about Town public art exhibit takes place all over London.

There are 50 unique BookBenches to locate, like the Shakespeare and Paddington Bear ones featured in this post—all of which will be auctioned at the exhibit's end in order to raise money for literacy initiatives in the UK through the National Literacy Trust. (The Books about Town site features some maps and quizzes to get your started on the hunt.)

Wild in Art, who is partnering with National Literacy Trust to put this on, has art education initiatives that engage students on issues both in their immediate and worldwide communities. UK artists donated their time and talents to create these benches; check out the Instagram account to see how they look out and about.

June 10, 2014

I'm usually doing something else, like walking or writing or running around or researching something. And then there is a book in front of me, in my gaze, while I am in the midst of doing something else intensely.

My gaze will stop at a book among a sea of books: on shelves, in piles, at the top of a stack, in a bookstore window (both brick-and-mortar and virtual).

When a book stands out to me at these unexpected moments, I will usually pick up the book. If I hesitate and I still feel the book's pull, I will definitely pick it up, if I can (much easier to do with a book on a metal shelf than one on a computer screen).

Often these books are ones that I know, and I'll leaf through them looking for a word or phrase that catches my eye. Sometimes I'll reread a favorite passage or find new meaning in one that I hadn't really understood in that way on the prior pass.

This time, a book new to me stood out. I saw it on a library shelf, and I checked it out. Then its return date arrived, and I had to return it. Then I bought my own copy, and I keep reading it. It is full of questions that have no simple answers. Many of the questions are phrased in ways I never thought of. The pages are rich with collaged snippets of words and images, of colored drawings, paintings, pen-and-ink sketches, all combined on the same page.

I don't want to say any more about it because I don't want to spoil any of the mystery and surprise in the book, in case it finds you, too, and you feel compelled to pick it up.

However, I think I can feature a few of my favorite questions without giving too much away:

1. What is an idea made of? (p. 4)

2. (What) Where is a story before it becomes words? (p. 44)

3. Why do some images come back again and again? (p. 96)

These questions, and the time I am spending with this book, are triggering so many interesting ideas and thoughts. (I just discovered there is an "adjustable activity book" in the back. This has been very fruitful book serendipity.)

August 05, 2012

In 2010, Todd Bol and Rick Brooks joined forces to share their passion for literacy in a community-based way. They created Little Free Library, which encourages people to create spaces, often on their front lawns, where they can donate and borrow books. (See above picture as an example.)

Others saw the benefits of having such a simple and accessible book exchange on their street and created their own. This growing movement is bringing free books to neighborhoods worldwide.

Potential positives I see:

Folks have a place to put books they don’t want anymore and know they will be well used.

Lenders and borrowers can see what their neighborhood likes to read. (Could book-group discussions come out of this?)

A Little Free Library Cafe right next to it! (OK, an honor-system, weather-proof espresso machine may be too much to ask. Would a nearby for-pay lemonade stand do?)

Do you have one in your neighborhood? If not, are you considering starting one? If you don’t have a front lawn, like many in cities or any apartment dweller, can you think of another fitting spot?

-To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. -To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity, and wisdom across generations.-To build more than 2,510 libraries around the world - more than Andrew Carnegie!

November 19, 2010

The above photo "Comme dans un tableau" — like in a picture — is one of many different images located in the online gallery of Laurent Laveder. Based on viewing his work, it looks like he often photographs life on earth during the evening and nighttime.

You can purchase the book Quartier Libre by Laurent Laveder and Sabine Sannier — featuring moon-inspired writing from nineteen authors — here.

October 24, 2010

The used-book-loving folks at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Arizona created this literary domino effect video. It captures my sentiment about bookstores: fun places full of information and wonder.

July 23, 2010

As I follow astronauts like Mike Massimino on Twitter as they tweet from space, it's easy to learn bits of what life is like beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Before Internet access and the development of Web 2.0 and social media, there were few widely available, multimedia records of the astronaut experience. Below is a compelling video clip from the documentary For All Mankind, directed by Al Reinert with a musical score by Brian Eno and originally released in 1989. (Its re-release on DVD is now available.) In a 2009 article, Reinert explained his focus behind the movie:

What I wanted to do was make a film that communicated what it felt
like to go to the moon. Really put you in the shoes of the astronauts.
That's still the kind of movie that I would want to watch.

March 30, 2009

1. FlowingData is a well-designed and -organized online locale which helps readers

...explore how designers, statisticians, and computer scientists are
using data to understand ourselves better—mainly through data
visualization. Money spent, reps at the gym, time you waste, and
personal information you enter online are all forms of data. How can we
understand these data flows? Data visualization lets non-experts make
sense of it all.

2. The Addictionary is a social word site. Users make up words, create definitions for made-up words, vote on other users' humorous wordy concoctions, and connect to others who enjoy doing the same. From their "About Us" page:

The Addictionary is a site for word lovers and those who like to see
our beloved English language grow in serious or humorous ways. We built
the Addictionary to empower word-play and to help lovers of word-play
showcase and market their cleverness and creativity to the world...

If you add a word or definition to the site, drop a comment here. I'll post a link to it so other readers can check it out.

March 25, 2009

This trailer piqued my curiosity. How does a film, which will run (most likely) approximately 90 minutes, stay true to the narrative of a 37-page children's book?

I've just looked through my copy of Where the Wild Things ArebyMaurice Sendak, and I've estimated that twenty-seven of the pages are illustrated. (Some are image only, and on others, the image takes up most of the page with a bit of accompanying text.)

The best films-based-on-books capture the essence of the book. While most novels' plots are too extensive to show completely within an acceptable movie time limit, a film's story—sincerely told and authentically rendered—can do the original work justice.

The trailer shows so much not even hinted at in the original. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the film stands on its own—I'd really like to see this!

2. "The
Buzzwords of 2008" is full of overused, wordy gems. On this New York Times' list, you'll find digital cliff, staycation, and Phelpsian, among many others. The article is co-written by Grant Barrett, "a lexicographer
specializing in slang and new words, ... co-host of the public
radio program 'A Way With Words' and head of the New Words Committee of
the American Dialect Society." Accompanying illustrations by Jessica Hische are witty and original.

For $30.00, we are putting together a Mystery Box
of three business books. In this box you are guaranteed one title that
either won, or made the shortlist for, the best book of 2008 in its
category, along with 2 other titles from last year that were submitted
for the awards. As a bonus, we will include a copy of this year's In The Books, our annual review of business books. 100% of the purchase will go directly to Room to Read, and we'll cover the shipping on all orders.

Room to Read promotes increased literacy in the developing world by establishing libraries, computer labs and even schools in communities with few educational resources. It is a powerful organization which makes real and lasting positive impact. If you're not familiar with the group, I suggest clicking through and looking at what they do; it is inspiring.

Hello and welcome!

My name is Kristin Gorski. I recently earned my doctorate (EdD) in instructional technology and media. My research focuses on technology and literacies, writing in digital spaces, and how media literacy may support academic literacy (among other incredibly interesting topics). On occasion, I’m also a freelance writer and editor. “Write now is good.” is my personal blog about writing, creativity and inspiration (with healthy doses of technology in relevant places). I started it in blogging's heyday (2006) and still post to it, time permitting. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, have writing/technology/creativity info to share, or want to say, "Hi," contact me at kgwritenow (at) yahoo dot com.
To read more about me, click on the "ABOUT" link below.